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The Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ seeks to be a community of diverse congregations which nurtures, supports, and unites local churches in faithful covenant in Christ to carry out ministry and mission in the world.

Let's Talk: Lets Talk About Helping Free Our Neighbors from Medical Debit 
Let’s Talk: About Helping Free Our Neighbors from Medical Debt
On Ash Wednesday, 31 East Bay churches, serving in the Contra Costa and
Alameda Counties, joined together with a lofty goal—to raise $44,000 in
order erase a combined $4.7 million in medical debt for their neighbors.
They partnered with RIP Medical Debt in this effort. RIP Medical Debt
purchases medical debt that has been in the collection system for years and,
therefore, can be purchased at the cost of $1 for $100 of debt. Relieving
people of the burden of this kind of debt that has been weighing on them for
years, even decades, is what Jesus means when he says, “when you did it for
these, you did it unto me.”
The original plan for these churches was that on Good Friday they would join
together for worship at one of their churches to pray for all those burdened
with this debt and on Easter Sunday they would celebrate the successful
completion of this six-week campaign.
These faithful churches did join together for worship on Good Friday, but it
wasn’t in a church. It was online.  And they prayed. And they sang. And they
were together
Let’s Talk: About Helping Free Our Neighbors from Medical Debt
On Ash Wednesday, 31 East Bay churches, serving in the Contra Costa and
Alameda Counties, joined together with a lofty goal—to raise $44,000 in
order erase a combined $4.7 million in medical debt for their neighbors.
They partnered with RIP Medical Debt in this effort. RIP Medical Debt
purchases medical debt that has been in the collection system for years and,
therefore, can be purchased at the cost of $1 for $100 of debt. Relieving
people of the burden of this kind of debt that has been weighing on them for
years, even decades, is what Jesus means when he says, “when you did it for
these, you did it unto me.”
The original plan for these churches was that on Good Friday they would join
together for worship at one of their churches to pray for all those burdened
with this debt and on Easter Sunday they would celebrate the successful
completion of this six-week campaign.
These faithful churches did join together for worship on Good Friday, but it
wasn’t in a church. It was online.  And they prayed. And they sang. And they
 

On Ash Wednesday, 31 East Bay churches, serving in the Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, joined together with a lofty goal—to raise $44,000 in order erase a combined $4.7 million in medical debt for their neighbors.

They partnered with RIP Medical Debt in this effort. RIP Medical Debt purchases medical debt that has been in the collection system for years and, therefore, can be purchased at the cost of $1 for $100 of debt. Relieving people of the burden of this kind of debt that has been weighing on them for years, even decades, is what Jesus means when he says, “when you did it for these, you did it unto me.”

The original plan for these churches was that on Good Friday they would join together for worship at one of their churches to pray for all those burdened with this debt and on Easter Sunday they would celebrate the successful completion of this six-week campaign. Click HERE to read more.

 
 
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Low-Interest Loans for Churches
NCNC is partnering with The Cornerstone Fund (CF) to provide low-interest loans to churches who need a little help to get through the COVID-19 crisis. The minimum loan amount is $5,000 and the maximum amount is $10,000. The interest rate on these loans will be 2.5%. The first payment will not be due for six weeks and then for the next ten months will be an interest-only payment. The full loan amount will be due in month 12 or can be negotiated with CF for a longer term. Application and details will be released very soon. If you have questions or are interested, contact Conference Minister Diane Weible (dweible@ncncucc.org)

Recorded Sermons by Conference Ministers Now Available
We understand how difficult this season is and we are looking for ways to support our churches and pastors.
  • For the next three Sundays, the NCNC ministerial staff will record a sermon each week for any church that wants to use this in their Sunday morning worship. 
  • On May 16, the Council of Conference Ministers is creating a complete worship service to offer to churches for worship planning consideration. 
  • The NCNC ministerial staff plans to record additional sermons the first three Sundays in June.
If you are interested in learning more about this or would like the link for this Sunday's recording,  contact Diane Weible (dweible@ncncucc.org)

Annual Meeting Announcement 
Due to COVID-19, the June Annual Gathering at Sonoma State University is canceled. The Conference Council has called a Special Conference Meeting to be held online on Saturday, May 30, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Register by May 7.To prepare for the May 30 meeting which includes a vote to approve Conference Bylaws revisions, an informational meeting will be held online on Saturday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. All registered delegates and others interested in attending will receive a link to the meeting but please mark your calendar for this important conversation. Read More.

Support Sessions for Pastors and Lay Leaders
Session to support churches, pastors and lay leaders, addressing various topics have begun. All topics and recordings of past sessions can be found on our website.

Upcoming sessions include:
April 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Meeting needs in your multi-staff church (Facilitated by Rev. Molly Baskette)
April 24, 10-11:30 a.m., Confronting death, supporting grief, and conducting funerals while sheltering in place (Facilitated by Rev. Evelyn Vigil)
April 30, 10-11:30 a.m., Church Finances (Facilitated by Rev. Andrew Warner)

Join any session on the particular date and time by clicking HERE. 

Details on additional sessions will be updated on our website and will include topics such as online worships and meetings, what things are being born, and more. 

Online Worship Services 
Please complete this four question survey by the end of the day today with your church's online link for Sunday morning services that you would like to share. Tomorrow morning we will post all submitted links on our COVID-19 Resources page (click HERE). Your response to the survey indicates your church's approval for us to share this information with others.

Imagining Beyond Empire: Spiritual Practices for Unlearning Oppression
Tuesdays, 6:30-8pm May 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9, 16
This 6-week online course taught by PSR professor Dr. Sharon R. Fennema, invites us into the profound work of understanding the multiple overlapping forms of oppression we often inadvertently participate in perpetuating and developing spiritual practices that enable us to take an honest look at ourselves and to imagine ways of living beyond these oppressive dynamics. We are all imbedded within and act out of systems that are based on the unjust exercise of power or authority. These oppressive actions and systems diminish us, divide us, and inhibit the full manifestation of God’s love and justice in this world. To, this course is designed to: 
  • develop deeper understanding of the dynamics of oppression(s)
  • introduce anti-oppression practices 
  • cultivate spiritual practices to sustain and advance this life-long work. 
Email Associate Conference Minister Davena Jones (davena@ncncucc.org)  if you are interested in participating. 

Celebrate with Joy

After more than two decades working for the Conference, Joy Davis will retire on April 30. A celebration of her ministry had been planned for May but has been changed to August 22 due to the shelter-in-place orders. 

Even though we can't gather together on our original date, we can still  honor Joy's years of dedicated and loving service to all of us.  So please share your love and good wishes in a card sent to Joy in care of the Conference Office (NCNC-UCC, 1320 Willow Pass Rd, Suite 600, Concord, CA 94520) before April 30.  We'll make sure she gets your message on May 9, the day we originally planned to celebrate our Day of Joy.

Click HERE to see the full details on the August 22 celebration and to RSVP.

Survey for Camp Program VIsioning
The Camp Discernment Team is hard at work to envision what our Conference camp program will look like when we, hopefully, return to our camping program in 2021, We need your help. Whether you are a long-time camp program participant or you have never attended any camp program, please take a minute to fill out this survey so we can receive your valuable feedback. 

SURJ Releases Anti-Racism Toolkit
Click HERE to download this important resources as we seek to stand up for racial justice in our communities. 

PSR Weekly Webinars Support Faith Communities 
Pacific School of Religion is offering weekly support webinars to bring together faith leaders to reflect with hope and resources to an aspect of our responses to the pandemic. The webinars are held each week on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Pacific. The sessions include reflections on the following Sunday’s lectionary readings. Marjorie Wilkes Matthews, Pastor of Plymouth Church in Oakland, will be on the panel next Tuesday and Diane Weible will be on the panel for the May 12 session.  Learn more.

Thursdays for the Soul!

A webinar series to care for the whole church, hosted by Faith INFO and Justice and Local Church Ministries is being offered each week on Thursday. Topics are wide ranging, and are focused on the spirituality and care of people. Prayer, worship, music, psalm readings, or compassionate teaching are often included. To register for today's session, click HERE.

Demand Fair and Faithful Census 
The 2020 census was set to go into full swing right in the midst of the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. As required by the constitution the census is a count of every person living in the U.S. The results of the census determine two things, one is allocation of Congressional districts and representation, and the other is spending of over $800 billion in federal funds to health centers, schools, infrastructure and other essential services. This crisis only serves to highlight the need for a fair and accurate count. Click HERE to read more.
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United Church of Christ in Northern California Nevada
1320 Willow Pass Rd., Suite 600 | Concord, CA 94520
(510) 247-8990 + ncncucc dot org

Rev. Diane Weible, Conference Minister
Rev. Davena Jones, Associate Conference Minister
Rev. Daniel Ross-Jones, MPA, Associate Conference Minister
Joy Davis, Conference Administrator
Elane Johnson, Administrative Assistant

The United Church of Christ acknowledges that its buildings and ministries in all of its settings are on traditional territories of Native, First Nations, American Indian, and Indigenous Peoples. Our Conference Office is on traditional Miwok land.






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Northern California Nevada Conference, United Church of Christ · 1320 Willow Pass Rd, Suite 600 · Concord, CA 94520 · USA